I just had to stop by and show you this fantastic project I discovered on Facebook when my mate Paul shared it.

Lockdown was horrendous for most of us, but I especially saw my musical friends saddened by the lack of gigs and connection. Local Exeter musician Emma Welton took on a project of her own during that time. Taking ‘sound walks’ across the city, tuning into her environment and the little things in life that we usually take for granted. She has drawn her sound walks to share them, inviting us to take time out, to take in the music of life.

Emma says:

“In March all my concerts were cancelled due to C-19, so I have had an empty diary like all live performers and many others. As a consequence, in addition to doing a bit of online teaching I have been doing a lot of gardening.

Now that the garden is looking much better than it was I have been enjoying observing it, and walking in our beautiful surroundings.

I have been listening as I go, seeking out sounds, allowing sounds to find me, exploring unlikely places, and just pausing for a while to hear what’s there.

When I close my eyes I hear a lot more.

From my position at the bottom of the Exe valley in Exeter, I can usually hear further than I can see, because sound travels round or through obstacles that get in the way of the sightline.

Some of the sounds I notice are specific to this time and place, such the great-crested grebe family on the flood channel who join us each spring and then leave, or a metal sign that has come loose from its fixings and clangs in the breeze – one day it might get fixed and the sound will be gone.”